sixwordstories | (no subject)

Alright.

[She dips a spoon in a dish of bone-broth and holds it out for him to try]

[He looks skeptical] Little thin for my tastes. But you've helped my hunger before, so.. [Sticks it in his mouth and sips it]

Are you talking about Me or the soup?

Should I add more thyme?

Soup's thin. You've been helpful. Saved me from being a monster.

[He shrugs one shoulder] You can do what you want. [Helpful when it comes to taste? Blade? Never.]

Of course I can do what I want. I could put every herb in the kitchen into it, but will it make it better? [She has a scattering of recipes on the table but does not seem satisfied. She opens a drawer and picks out a shark knife and draws it across her hand letting blood drip into the broth]

Will that make it better?

[He shrugs, but his eyes are riveted on that blood drop as it goes into the liquid. This IS a very young Blade, after all. He reaches out and grabs the mug almost immediately. The water is...steaming.]

Huh. It's warm.

Warm. Comfortable like bathwater.

Better than before?

[His eyes narrow and he sniffs it]

Smells like sulphur now.

[She looks at it curious and interested]

Let me taste it.

[He glances from the liquid to her and back. Then he shoves the mug towards her. Either she knows what she's doing or she doesn't.]

[She takes the mug back and takes a very hesitant, tiny sip from the mug before pulling a face]

Oh. That's wretched.

What was in it? Besides your blood.

Skeleton of a cat, entrails of a bird, eyes of a salamander. Mint and tumeric.

And my blood.

Sulfur seems to indicate demons. You sure that was a cat?

All cats still have a little demon in them but they were here walking through shadows even before Demons were. [She takes another sip and gags slightly on it]

I don't now what that means.

[He takes it and takes a sip]

But it is better.

It means all cats were demons once. But no one tells a cat what it is or defines it... so the cat became something else. At least in one story.

I'm not sure how my blood might change the recipe.

Hmph. [He looks skeptical] Cats are cats.

[He shrugs] Depends on if those were really cat bones. Or what's in your blood.

Of course they are. Cats are Just cats. The way I'm just a girl.

Do you want to drink this or not?

You are. You're just into weird shit.

[He glances at the drink appraisingly] Is this going to be something else that makes me want you more than I can control? That was fun last time, but... [Some instinct in him tells him that being more and more into her isn't exactly healthy, but he did like the way he felt last time. And he already has some of this potion in him, which could be clouding his judgment. He does like her, though. It's a nice feeling, to have a...friend?]

It's not weird. It's just old.

[She raises her eyebrow at him with a slight pout] But...? You controlled yourself fine.

It's weird. [A thoughtful pause] It can be both.

I've never done that before. [He swirls the cup with the liquid in it as he looks down into it.] It was fun. But you urged me to...give in to something I normally fight. That felt too good. The only reason I didn't kill you was your potion kept me sated enough to not drink too much from you.

You shouldn't fight it. It's part of who you are. And you'll never be able to control yourself if you just keep repressing. So we'll find something that helps. No shame in getting help here and there.

I'm not a monster.

[He huffs a sigh]

If I don't fight it, I could hurt you. Any one of those bites could've been me bleeding you dry. I don't want that.

Even this...[He holds up the cup]...makes me want you. Your blood.

I hate it.

I never thought you were a monster.

I'm giving it to you. Drink it. It might help give you more control over your urges if I can find the right recipe.

That's why I like you. You're the first person to not look at me like I am.

It's just soup with your blood in it. And a damn weird choice of broth. [But he tilts it back and drinks it.]

What you are and what you choose to be.

Any 'soup' worth making is made with bones. And while you might not think it's significant, it might turn out to be just what we need.

Never really felt like I had much of a choice.

But cat bones. [sidelong glance]

Who we are is maybe the one thing we get to choose for ourselves.

Cats have certain properties other animals don’t have. They may not taste good but the benefits are there.

Depends on what kinda instincts you were born with. Mine are...strong. Vampire instincts take you over.

Such as?